Flashlight



April 20, 1937.

.P. SCHNEIDER FLASHLIGHT original Filed sept. 16, 1953 Jn vernal'.- /au' 5' c mwah Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE FLASHLIGHT Germany Original application September 16, 1933, Serial 689,756. Divided and `this application March 21, 1935, Serial No. 12,274. In Germany September 19, 1932 2 claims. (CL 24o-40.66)`

My invention relates to battery hand lamps or ashlights, and more particularly to flashlights With a casing which comprises an upper and a lower portion, both of insulating material and connected for relative rotation and axial shifting, and a reector in the upper portion. The lower portion receives a battery. At its lower end, it is closed by a solid or `annular bottom plate which is integral with the casing. Its upper end is open.

It is an object of :ny-invention to provide improved focussing means for a flashlight of this ype.

To this end, I provide a transverse partition which is screwed upon the upper end of the lower casing portion, mount a bulb on the partition and provide means on the partition for shifting the casing portions axially with respect to each other upon relative rotation of the portions.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a partly sectional elevation of a preferred form of embodiment according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof; viewed from the rightfin Fig. 1, and ti Fig. 3 isa perspective illustration of the parti- Referring now to the drawing, the flashlight comprises a lower portion for the reception ofa battery 3, and an upper portion 2 which is mounted on the lower portion for rotation and axial shifting, and knurled at 'I I. The lower portion is closed at the bottom by a bottom plate I8 which is integral with the lower portion I. A spring I supports the battery 3 and is-in turn supported by the plate I d. d is a switch at one side of the lower portion, for connecting the lamp bulb 8 to the battery 3 through any suitable conducting means, not shown. A reflector 8 is held in the upper portion 2 by a flange at its upper end, a transparent plate II, and a knurled cap nut I3 which engages in a thread on the upper portion 2.

The lower end of the reflector 8 is tubular and surrounds, with some clearance, a socket i in 45 lwhich the bu1b s is held- The 1ower end of the bulb contacts with the inner electrode of battery 3. The socket I0 is formed at the centre of a partition 51, Fig. 1,-which includes two cylinders placed end on end. The lo-wer cylinder is a threaded sleeve 10, and the upper cylinder |8I has cam slots |85, |86, and |87, and three spring tongues |82, |83, and |84 intermediate the slots. ,'Three pins on the upper portion 2, one of which is shown at |88, engage in the respective cam slots. There is no diiculty in making the cam slots in the sheet metal of cylinder 8|, and in inserting the pins |88 in the insulating material of the upper portion 2. The tongues |82, |83, and |84 perform the function of springy arms in holding the upper and the lower portion in position after the lamp has been focussed. The lamp socket I0 is in cylinder 18|.

For focussing the lamp, the upper portion 2 is turned on Vthe lower portion and this turning movement is transformed into an axlalshifting movement by the cam slots |85, |86 and |87. When the upper portion is released, it remains in the position to which it has been moved, as the tongues |82, |83, and I 8B react against the inner side of the upper portion 2 and hold it in position on the lower portion I. When the lower portion I is moved out of the upper portion, until the pins in the upper portion 2 are retained by the corresponding ends of their cam slots |85, |85 and I 81, and is then rotated further, itbecomes unscrewed from the sleeve 'I0 of partition 51 and the battery 3 can be removed from the upper end of the lower portion I.

This case is a divisional application of applicants original application, Serial No. 689,756, filed September 16, 1933.

I claim:

1. In a ashlight, a divided casing comprising an upper portion of insulating material, a pin on said upper portion, a reector in saidupper portion, a lower portion, also of insulating material, a bottom plate at the lower .end of said lower portion made integral therewith, said lower portion being adapted to be rotated and shifted axially with respect to said upper portion, a threaded transverse partition, a thread at the upper end of said lower portion for holding said partition on the lower portion, a lamp bulb on said partition, a tongue on said partition which is s o arranged as to bear against the inner side of said upper portion by resilient reaction,` and a member also on said partition, with a cam slot for said pin to engage in, for shifting axially said portions with respect to each other upon relative rotation of said portions.

2. In a fiashlight, a divided casing comprising an upper portion of insulating material, pins on said upper portion, a reector in said upper portion, a lower portion, also of insulating material, a bottom plate at the lower end of said lower portion made integral therewith, said lower portion being adapted to be rotated and shifted axially with respect to said upper portion, a transverse partition including two hollow cylinders placed end on end, a. thread on one of said cylinders, a. thread at the upper end of said lower portion Ifor holding the cylinder on the lower 5 portion, a lamp bulb on said partition, the other cylinder having a. cam -slot for each oi the pins on said upper portion to engage in, and tongues arranged ony said other cylinder so as to bear against the inner side of said upper portion by resilient reaction.

\ PAUL SCHNEIDER. 

